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Philadelphia’s Yellow Fever Epidemic: From Health Crisis to Social Crisis


  • Dialogue Institute Temple University (062-56) / 1700 N. Broad Street, Suite 315 Philadelphia, PA 19121 (map)

Walking Tour: 3 hours, prices starting at $289 for up to two people, $25 per person for each additional person up to maximum of 20.

Virtual Tour: 90 minutes, starting at $180 for up to 5 people, $25 per person for each additional person up to 20. 

Description: During the summer of 1793, a mysterious illness spread rapidly across the bustling city of Philadelphia, which at the time was the capital of the new nation. In the course of a few months, nearly 10% of the city’s residents died from yellow fever. This cataclysmic event inspired acts of heroism and self-sacrifice, but it also starkly revealed racial inequalities and inflamed polarization around immigration policy, political identity, and scientific knowledge. Learn how its lessons apply to today. 

Guides: David Krueger, John Bright